


a forgone conclusion

by SportsAnimeRuinedMyLife (KnightOfRage)



Category: Bleach
Genre: F/M, Fix-It of Sorts, Friendship, Not Epilogue Compliant, everyone is friends and nothing hurts, hence this, i am not a fan of the last chapter, sort of character death but not really
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-19
Updated: 2016-08-19
Packaged: 2018-08-09 17:23:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7810684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KnightOfRage/pseuds/SportsAnimeRuinedMyLife
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There's never really been another option for him. It's always been Rukia. </p><p> </p><p>Or...Ichigo and Rukia might not have a white picket fence and a perfect kid, but they're still pretty happy</p>
            </blockquote>





	a forgone conclusion

Ichigo strikes the final blow.

He lands lightly, zangetsu clutched tightly in his hands. He turns back to look at the last wisps of darkness disappearing.

That’s it, then.

It’s finally, _finally_ over.

“Cool.” He says out loud.

And then he promptly passes out.

**~~~~**

Ichigo wakes up to the sight of the rough ceiling of a makeshift barrak and Rukia’s worried face.

He blinks a couple of times. He feels weird. “Hi.” He says to Rukia.

“You passing out after beating the bad guy.” She thumps him on the shoulder, more gently than she normally would. “That’s becoming a thing, isn’t it?”

He blinks a couple of times. He still feels so strange...light. Untethered. Maybe it’s just down to the lack of quincies around.

“Moron?” Ruki prompts with another punch to the shoulder, this one a little harder. “Are you even listening?”

“Er, sorry Rukia.” He rubs the back of his neck with a hand. Wow, even his hands are bandaged. He must look like a straight-up mummy right now. “I feel kind of...weird right now.”

“Oh.” She seems to wilt a little bit and he raises an eyebrow. This is not typical Rukia behavior. Typical Rucki behavior would be hitting him a few more times and then insulting him for good measure.

“What is it?” He sighs. He doesn’t want there to be more issues. The whole Quincy thing should be enough of an issue for a good, long while.

She doesn’t meet his eyes for a minute and then she does,her face hard and intense like she’s steeling herself for something unpleasant. “Feel for you body, Ichigo.” She says. “Your human body.”

He does. And…

“Oh.” He says softly.

“Oh.” She repeats with a nod.

It’s not there anymore. He can’t feel his living body. He isn’t...he’s not alive anymore.

“Right.” He scrubs a hand through his hair. “Right.”

“It was the level of the fighting you did, “Rukia is babbling a bit and he’s grateful for it. He’s still processing. “That sort of energy...the healers say that it more or less cut you off from your living body and when that happened…”

“My body died.” Ichigo finishes. He doesn’t want her to have to say it.

The sit in heavy silence for a while. Ichigo opens and closes his hands once, twice, three times. They still feel like his. He doesn’t feel dead. Granted, he’s not exactly sure what death is supposed to feel like.

He looks up and at Rukia. She looks so guilty, like this something that she did. He huffs an annoyed sigh and knocks her on the forehead with the back of a hand. “Fool.”

“What did you say to me?” She looks up at him with a scowl.

That makes him smile. “Stop looking like it’s your fault.”

She continues to scowl. “It is my fault. It’s the whole Soul Society’s fault.” She folds her arms and looks away. “This was our problem. We should have been able to handle it.”

“C’mon, Rukia.” Ichigo says. “The Soul Society’s problems are my problems too. They have been for, like, a long time now.”

“Why, though?” And she looks genuinely upset now. It’s such a rare expression for her that it takes him a minute to place it. “Why would you go so far for the Soul Society?”

He feels weightless and strange and honest. Being dead is weird. He’s also willing to bet the fourth division has put him on some serious painkillers...so that’s probably not helping. Either way, when he speaks, it’s frank and plain. “There are quite a few people that I care about in the Soul Society, you know.” He touches the back of her hand. “Some of them I care about a lot.”

“Ichigo…” If anything, she looks more upset. “You didn’t have to do this for all of them. It’s too much and I...”

“For you.” He corrects. “I did it for you too.” Because, yeah, there were other factors, a lot of other factors. And there were reasons, a lot of other reasons. But Rukia a big part of the reason why he fights so hard, why he goes so far, why he is even a shinigami in the first place.

“You didn’t have to.” She’s frowning, but she looks less upset now. “Not for me. You didn’t. You have other reasons, plenty of other reasons.”

“You know what I mean. You’re always one of my reasons. One of the really big ones, actually.” He breathes deep and touches her hand again. “You’re so important, Rukia. There just...there hasn’t ever really been another option for me.” He says with a tiny laugh, suddenly doubting that he’s actually dead because his heartbeat seems so loud in his ears.

“Are you saying…?” Her eyes are wide with surprise and her cheeks are just a little flushed.

“C’mon.” He smiles at her. “It’s what I’ve always been saying.”

“Fool.” She says, but she’s smiling right back.

“I guess that I am.” He leans forward a bit.

They don’t kiss. They fall together in a messy hug, elbows poking everything and lots of hair getting into the other’s mouth. It’s uncomfortable and awkward and perfect. They laugh a lot and end up in a heap in the middle of his hospital bed. 

“Are we really doing this _now_?” Rukia says. She’s so warm against him, so real.

“Oh, come on.” Ichigo says, flicking her ear. “We’ve been doing this for years now.”

Rukia huff a laugh. "I guess that we have." She leans in him a bit, her slight weight making him shiver. "It's stupid. But we have, haven't we?" 

Ichigo thinks about kissing her. He’d like that, he’d like it a lot, but...

“I hate to say it, but I probably need some time.” He says. He doesn’t really want to admit it, but right after dying probably isn’t the best time to bring their relationship to a different level. These feeling aren't knew. Her knowing about them, that's likely not new either. But acting on them... “This is a lot to adjust to.”

She laughs softly and leans back to look at him properly. “We’ve waited this long, you fool.” She raps him on the forehead with her knuckles. “I think we can stand to wait a bit longer."

“I suppose that you’re right.”

She hugs him tightly and grins up at him. “I usually am.” She pushes the hair out of his eyes with careful fingers. “Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it.”

**~~~~**

Ichigo Kurosaki’s funeral happens on a sunny Saturday morning on a hill very close to where Ichigo’s mother is buried.

The service is very well-attended. Practically the entire high school is there, weeping into their hands and lamenting his death. Two girls from his homeroom clutch at each other, sobbing and insisting that they always loved him. The whole soccer team is there, dressed in black and standing solemnly with their heads bowed.

The people who were closest to him, the people who should by all accounts be the saddest right now, are more or less keeping it together. Yuzu and Karin are sniffling a bit and his father is weeping big, showy tears, but his friends are all okay. They look a bit melancholy, perhaps, a bit thoughtful, but they’re not crying.

Ichigo would be more hurt by that if he wasn’t standing right beside them.

That’s likely the most notably thing about Ichigo Kurosaki’s funeral. The fact that Ichigo Kurosaki himself is attending it.

He listens to people talk about him, about how he was a young man with his whole life ahead of him, about how he’d been taken from them far too soon, and he finds he’s not actually...that upset. When he thinks back on his life it already seems very long, or at least long enough for him. He’d had time to be a good brother, a... _passable_ son, a good friend.

And it’s not like he has to give those things up. He’s dead, but he’s not actually gone.

“Good turnout.” Rukia comments idly. Like him, she’s invisible to all but a few in the crowd so she doesn’t really bother to keep her voice down. “I didn’t know you were so popular, what with your scary face, terrible temper and failure to actually go to school like half the time.”

“He’s not.” Renji says with a grin. “All of these Ichigo-fanclub-posers.” He shakes his head in mock distress. “I liked you before it was cool. Back when you were alive, even!”

A few of his friends are biting back smiles now and Ichigo rolls his eyes in Renji’s direction. “Why are you even here?”

“A great hero has fallen.” Renji says, bowing his head, but still grinning because he is an utter asshole. “I wanted to pay my respects.”

“Also you had the day off.” Rukia says.

“That too.” Renji agrees with a nod.

“I am so kicking your ass later.” Ichigo grumbles.

“You can try.” Renji huffs, putting his hands on his hips. “I’ll have you know, I’m very strong and very impressive. My funeral would probably have three, no, four times as many people at it.”

“Stop trying to ruin my funeral.” Ichigo complains. “Shouldn’t I be, like, the guest of honor or something?”

It’s a bit awkward when the whole front row of funeral goers starts snickering , but Ichigo figures its worth it to liven up his funeral a bit. Also, it’s worth it to get the upset, but mostly resigned looks, off of his friends faces.

He hates those looks, the ones that tell him that all of his friends suspected it was just a matter of time before he up and joined the Soul Society for good. He’s tried, for years he’s tried, to find a good balance between the world most people can’t see and the one they can.

But Ichigo has never been good with delicate things. So, honestly, he understand why they were all resigned, why none of them are crying. Maybe it really was just a matter of time before he tilted too far to one side and everything toppled.

“Oh look.” Rukia distracts him by pulling on his wrist. “Some girl from your math class is about to give a speech about how she always loved you! Should be fun.”

“Hush.” Ichigo says. “You’re just jealous.”

“Not a chance.” She says with a roll of her eyes, but she slides her hand from his wrist down to tangle with his.

Her hand is warm.

Ichigo grips it tightly, so tight it has to hurt, but Rukia doesn’t make a move to pull away. The funeral goes on and on and Ichigo clings to Rukia’s hand.

**~~~~**

“Kurosaki-kun?” Once the funeral has come to a close, Orihime stops Ichigo before he can leave the hillside. “Um, sorry, but would you mind staying behind with me for a few minutes? I wanted to ask you something.”

“Oh, sure.” Ichigo blinks, a little surprised. But it’s fine that she wants to talk. They haven’t had much of a chance since leaving the Soul Society. Ichigo tells the others to leave without them, assuring Rukia he's okay. 

The wait side-by-side, watching as the mourners start heading down the hill in black-clad clumps. Soon enough, the hill is empty besides the both of them. The sun is warm and the wind is light and pleasant. It’s a nice day.

“What did you want to talk about?” Ichigo asks.

“Well,” Orihime is clutching a fistful of her black skirt in her hands. “I was just wondering...do you plan on going back to the Soul Society, Kurosaki-kun?”

Ichigo swallows. “I’m, you know, technically dead, Inoue. I can’t just stay here.” She just nods, not looking at him. “Hey,” He touches her shoulder. “I’ll come back and visit. It’s not like you’ll never seen me again.”

“I know,” She says and looks up at him, releasing her skirt and folding her hands together. “I just wish you could be here all of the time!”

“Sorry.” He says and he is. He might be okay with how things turned out, but he’s still upset that he doesn’t get to stay with Karin and Yuzu and his dad. He’s upset that he doesn’t get to try college and becoming a grownup along with his friends. He’s okay because he’s got another life to lead, one that’s waiting for him, but it doesn’t mean he’s completely over the one he’s leaving behind.

The stand in silence for an awkward minute. “Was that all you needed to ask me about?” Ichigo asks.

Orihime shakes her head. “I need to tell you why I wish you would stay.”

“What do you mean?” Ichigo frowns.

Orihime bites her lip and then blurts out, “It’s because I’m in love with you Kurosaki-kun!” She’s blushing a brilliant scarlet and she’s so pretty and so sweet and so very strong like she always has been and part of Icihigo almost regrets that he’s already spoken for, but...well.

He’s already spoken for.

Has been for a pretty long time, if he’s being totally honest.

“Inoue…” He wants to hug her or touch her shoulder or something because he’s about to break her heart and he wants to soften that blow somehow. But he doesn’t think that would really convey the kind of tone he’s going for. “I can’t.”

“We could make it work.” She says, still smiling but the edges are wavering a bit. “I don’t mind that you have to stay in the Soul Society! I could visit you and you could visit me and then someday I could…”

“Inoue, you can’t just live waiting for the day you join the Soul Society.” He frowns. He lived like that back when he didn’t have his shinigami powers and it was awful, truly awful. She looks like she might argue, so he speaks again before she can, “But that’s not the problem...I like you, I really do, and I think you’re amazing and you’re my friend, but…” He shrugs, feeling both sheepish and horribly exposed. “I already have someone that I love.”

“Rukia?” She asks softly.

He nods. “Rukia.”

“Yeah.” She looks away from him and laughs, an achy, pained sound. “I thought you might. But I…” She sniffs, obviously trying not to cry. “I would have been so mad at myself if I didn’t try to tell you how I felt!”

“You’re brave.” He smiles at her. “You’ve always been like that. You’re loads braver than me.”

She laughs again and shakes her head, eyes closed tight. “D-don’t say such funny things Kurosaki-san. I’m t-trying to be upset with you!”

“I mean it.”

She looks at him, tears falling openly now. “I know.”

She turns, starts walking down the hill, but something makes him call her back. 

“Inoue!” He shouts.

“Kurosaki-kun?” She turns to look at him, blinking back tears.

“I’m...sorry.” He says, feeling incredibly awkward, but like this is something that he needs to do. “That I’m not in love with you, I mean. I’m sorry I’m not in love with you.”

It’s probably a weird thing to be apologizing for, but Orihime’s face breaks into a dazzling smile despite the tears.

“That’s okay, Kurosaki-kun.” She wipes her eyes with her sleeve and continues to smile at him. “I’m not sorry that I’m in love with you.”

He doesn’t know what to say to that so he stands on the the hill, breeze tugging at his hair and his shinigami uniform, and he lets her walk away.

**~~~~**

He, Rukia and Renji leave for the Soul Society that night. Ichigo gets a lot of tearful hugs and reminders to come back if he gets lonely. He gets more threats to come back often if he wants to avoid them coming in and dragging him back.

Most people would be exaggerating. Ichigo knows his family and friends. They are not exaggerating.

But, for now, he holds up a hand a waves farewell. Rukia takes his other hand.

“Ready for this?” She asks.

“After everything we’ve been through?” He grins at her. “We’ve got this.”

“Oh my god, get a room.” Renji says with a roll of his eyes.

“That’s the plan.” Ichigo says, tugging Rukia closer to him.

Rukia snickers.

Renji looks like he wants his afterlife to be over.

The future looks pretty good from where Ichigo is standing.

**~~~~**

A year passes quickly and then two and three and four until finally he’s going back to visit his friends after their college graduations.

He visits often anyway because they’re his friends. Being dead doesn’t change that. So when he shows up to Orihime’s graduation party, it’s not actually that big of a deal. Ishida, who came from France, is apparently much more interesting that he is.

He greets Ishida with a wave once everyone is through bothering him. “Hey!” He says, “Long time.”

“I apologize.” Ishida pushes up his glasses. “I’ve been very busy in Paris.”

“School?” Ichigo asks, locating a beer and tossing another to Ishida.

“I’ve actually gotten an internship at Vogue Paris.” Ishida says, opening his beer.

Ichigo has no idea what that means, but from Ishida’s satisfied smirk he’s willing to bet that it’s suitably impressive and important.

“Good job, man.” Ichigo claps him on the shoulder. “I bet your dad’s real pleased about it.”

“Ugh.” Ishida pinches the bridge of his nose. “Don’t remind me.”

“Is he upset?” Icihigo raises an eyebrow. He thought they worked out their issues in the aftermath of the Quincy fiasco.

“No!” Ishida scowls and folds his arms. “The man is being so aggressively support that it is off-putting. He can’t speak a word of French and he’s already collected every article I so much as glanced in the general direction of. It’s extremely disturbing.”

That makes Ichigo laugh. “You’re complaining about him supporting you too much? _Really_?”

Ishida shoots him a glare. “It’s annoying.”

“My dad likes to randomly show up at the Soul Society and challenge me to fights to the death.” Ichigo says flatly. “And since I’m already dead they never end.” He takes a long sip of his beer. “Consider yourself lucky.”

“Fathers.” Ishida says woefully.

“Too right.” Ichigo agrees.

Yuzu finds them there in the corner, sadly drinking their beers and regretting their parentage. She rolls her eyes at the both of them and drags Ichigo away, insisting that he’s being too depressing.

“Come and talk to Karin and me!” She insists, dragging him into the kitchen. Karin is perched on the counter, drinking a beer that she is definitely too young for.

He raises an eyebrow.

She takes another long sip, meeting his eyes defiantly.

He decides to let it go. It’ll be her own fault when goat-face finds out and grounds her for a hundred years.

“So why did you need me to come in here?” He says, sitting on the counter besides Karin. Yuzu smiles and hops up on the counter opposite them.

“You and Ishida were being all depressing!” She says brightly, accepting the beer that Karin tosses her and cracking it open.

Nope, nope, Ichigo is not getting involved. Underaged drinking is not his problem.

“We weren’t being depressing.” Ichigo says. “We were accepting the grim reality that we will never be free of our terrible fathers.”

Karin snickers and Yuzu pouts. “C’mon! Dad isn’t that bad.”

“Oh yes.” Ichigo says. “He is that bad. I told you about the duels to the death, right?”

Karin and Yuzu sigh in unison. “Yes.” Karin says. “You told us. Multiple times. In great detail too.”

He realizes with a start that he and his sister look fairly close to the same age now. He doesn’t age the same way as living being anymore, he knows that, but this actual evidence of it is...strange. Not good, not bad, just...odd.

“Hey, bro.” Karin says. “I meant to ask you...if I was gonna start hunting hollows do you think the kids from Urahara’s shop could help hook me up with some equipment?”

“Hunting hollows?” He repeats. “No! What are you even talking about? You can’t possibly be thinking about hunting hollows!”

“Oh no.” She prods his chest with a finger. “You got up to all sorts of wacky misadventures when you were my age. You don’t get to tell me no!”

“Karin…” He says, “Those wacky misadventures literally killed me.”

“You got better.”

“Seriously?”

“Well, I think it’s a good idea!” Yuzu volunteers. “Karin is finally getting out there and meeting people!” Yuzu winks. “She hardly ever goes on any dates!”

“Yuzu!” Karin is blushing scarlet.

“You won’t even go out with the cute girl at the convenience store and I know she likes you…”

“I’m just gonna...go…” Ichigo says numbly, leaving the kitchen before he has to think about his sisters dating cute convenience store girls.

He can deal with the hunting hollows thing later. Hopefully it’s just the alcohol talking. And even so, the dating think is potentially more worrying to him.

The idea of his sisters dating people is just weird. He doesn’t want to be like his dad about it or anything, but, like...they’re _babies_. They should not be dating.

Orihime finds him in hallway, shaking his head and trying to get the imagine of Karin and Yuzu dating people out of his head.

“Kurosaki-kun!” She says brightly. “I haven’t seen you at all tonight!”

“Ahaha, sorry.” He hugs her. “Congratulations, Orihime.”

“Oh, thanks.” She smiles. “I can’t believe I’ve actually graduated college! So weird, right?”

He nods and agrees that it’s weird, following her to the the comfy, overstuffed couch.

“How are things with Rukia?” Orihime asks as they settle onto the couch and her voice is very carefully neutral.

“Good.” Ichigo says with a nod. “They’re good.” It’s always been awkward talking about Rukia with Orihime, but she’s a good sport about it and seems genuinely pleased that they’re happy.

He hasn’t brought up their conversation after his funeral since it happened. There’s never really been a need to. Still, Ichigo hopes that she doesn’t love him anymore. He supposes that she doesn’t. It’s been years. Those sort of things go away after enough time, don’t they?

He doesn’t know. He’s only ever really loved Rukia.

Maybe in another life he and Orihime could have had something, but Rukia was and still is so much to Ichigo. He couldn’t imagine being half as happy or half as fulfilled with someone else. She's death and he's the strawberry. They just...fit. 

“So,” He smiles at Orihime. “Tell me about who you’re seeing. Anyone interesting?”

She blushes and talks around it for a while, but eventually admits she’s been on a few dates with a man she met in college. She blushes prettily when she talks about him and Ichigo teases her good-naturedly.

It’s nice. It feels nostalgic, like the early days of high school.

They talk about the future. Orihime gushes about the medical school that she’s been accepted into and about her new apartment in the city. Ichigo tells her a bit about what the shinigami are up to.

Ishida comes over after a while and they start to chatter about something fashion-related. Ichigo decides to leave them to it.

“Hey, have you seen Rukia?” Ichigo asks Renji from where he and Chad are having an intense arm-wrestling contest.

“Outside.” Renji grunts. “I’m gonna win this time you bastard…”

Ichigo leaves them to it as well. He knows from experience that it'll only end when someone breaks a hand or a table.

He heads out to the back porch. Rukia is perched on the railing, bare feet swinging back and forth.

“Hey.” Ichigo leans beside her.

“Hey. You good?” Rukia asks. Her hair is getting long, hanging just a little past her shoulders. It shines in the silvery moonlight.

“Yeah,” Ichigo reaches out a hand runs a hand through her hair just because he can. “I’m good.”

She smiles wryly at him. “We’re going to have so much paperwork to catch up on after this little weekend away in the living world.”

“Ugh, don’t remind him.” He puts an arm around her shoulders and pulls her in close. He kisses her hair and she hums contentedly. “Love you.” He says.

“So you keep telling me.”

He lets her go and pushes her away. “I take it back.”

“Oh, you know I was kidding.” She pouts at him, hopping off of the railing to come and stand between his legs, “C’mon, fool, give me another kiss.”

“Wow, with sweet talk like that it’s no wonder we aren’t married.” He says flatly, trying and failing to bite back his grin.

“Huh.” Usually, she’d tackle him or punch him or stab him with a sword or something else suitably Rukia, but right now she just stands there with a faintly curious expression. She looks him up and down. “Is that something you want?”

“What?” He blinks, nonplussed.

“Tch, still such a fool.” She rolls her eyes. “Marriage. Do you want to?”

“Oh.” He blinks again. He’s doesn’t want to sound like an idiot by saying it hadn’t crossed his mind, but it really hadn’t. Time is weird in the Soul Society...they’ve been together for close to four years now, but that doesn’t really seem like a long while the way it does to his human friends. “I...um, sure?”

She laughs at him and then punches him in the head.

“Rukia!” He protests.

“Um, sure?” She repeats. “That’s what you’re going with? Really?”

“Well, I don’t know!” He rubs his head, feeling distinctly heckled. “I don’t know how it works with shinigami! I probably have to get your brother’s permission and he still doesn’t like me and, like, there’s probably a lot of other things I’ll have to do and I hadn’t actually thought of it and…”

He stops when he notices the hand over her mouth. She only does that when she’s trying really, really hard not to laugh.

“You…” He growls and catches her around the waist, dragging her to him. “You’re doing this on purpose!”

She breaks out into a fit of giggles, clinging to his shirt. “Y-you’re face!” She hiccups. “You l-looked so s-scared!”

“Shut up.” She mumbles, hiding his face in her neck. “You’re terrible.”

She snickers at him some more and then drags him back by the hair, forcing him to look at her. “Hey, now.” She says with a grin. “Marriage can wait. We’ve got a lot more adventures ahead of us before we’re ready to settle down.”

“Adventures where I die less, hopefully.” Ichigo says.

She grins at him. “Hopefully.”

“You’re awful.”

“You love me.”

He rolls his eyes fondly. “I guess.”

“I’ll take it.” She leans up and presses a kiss against his lips.

They break apart and Ichigo murmurs, “I’ll propose eventually.”

“Fool.” She mumbles against his smiling lips. “I’ll be the one to propose to you.”

Yeah.

Things are good.

**Author's Note:**

> that last chapter was stupid 
> 
> also! forgive any inaccuracies...i don’t actually keep up w/the manga anymore. but i read the last few chapters today, saw red, and so here is this lovely oneshot!


End file.
